Nonlinear photonics in undergraduate curriculum: hands-on training to meet the demands of a qualified workforce

Abstract

The understanding of light-matter interaction processes has been essential for the attainment of many modern advancements in photonics, for instance the telecom revolution with lasers and fiber optics. Thereby, related industries greatly benefit from large availability of professionals, qualified for undertaking projects focused on devising and scaling products that may capitalize scientific progress on photonic materials and novel optical effects. Nevertheless, the familiarity with the application of these phenomena is usually gained by scientists and engineers at graduate education level, which commonly leads to a skilled workforce shortage. This lack of photonic-capable engineers becomes more critical when discussing nonlinear and quantum applications that will be broadly available soon. With this motivation, we present a nonlinear photonics hands-on training that could be integrated into curricula for photonics engineers or material scientists. The proposed session is aimed at undergraduate students, who would develop through practical experience relevant multidisciplinary skills for experimental design, data acquisition, setup configuration and optical alignment. Manuals are provided for the implementation of Z-Scan technique in the characterization of nonlinear optical materials. Equipment requirements are included along with the undergraduate-level theoretical content that may serve as introduction for students without prior exposure to nonlinear optics. Additionally, an open-source python-based software is provided for simplifying the extraction of Kerr effect and two-photon absorption figures of merit by means of the analysis of power measurements.